Power-driven mechanism for cultivating and harvesting.



no. 629,385. A Patented July 25, i899.

' 3. 30mm, Decd.

- L. MIDDLETON, Administrator. POWER DRIVEN MECHANISM FOR CULTIVATINGAND HARVESTlNG.

(Application filed Mar. 21, 1898,)

8 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

ws namus PETERS w. Ma'rourum, wasmum'nu. n. c.

No. 629,385. Patented July 25, I899. R. ROMAINE, Decd.

F. L. MIDDLETON, Administrator.

POWER DRIVEN MECHANISM FOR CULTIVATING AND HARVESTING.

(Application filed Mar. 21, 1898.) (No Model.) 9 Sheets-Sheet 3.

No. 629,385. Patented My 25, I899.

B. BOMAINE, Becd.

F. L. MIDDLETON, Administrator. POWER DRIVE! MECHANISM FOB GULT'IVA TINGAND HARVESTING.

(Application madman 21, 1898.)

9 Sheets-Sheet 4,

(No Model.)

4 I W h 1 i THCYNOIHIS Pmas can mow-mum. wnsumamu. n. c.

No. 629,385. 1 Patented July 25, I899.

. B. ROMAINE, Decd.

F. L. MIDDLETON, Administrator. 'POWER DRIVEN HEGHANISI FOR GULTWATINGAND HARVESTING.

' (Application filed Mar. 21, less. M16") 9 Sheets-Sheet s.

v im-x e/ v I 9% K @lmwmfmwf I 7H: uoams virus so. nunwlrmca wmmcwa. mc.

No. 629,385. r V Patented July 25, I899.

R. ROMAINE, Decd.

F. L. mnnLETon, Administrater. 7 POWER DRIVEN MECHANISM FOR GULTIVATINGAND HARVESTING.

- (Application filed m. 21, 1898.)

A I 9 Sheets-Sheet a.

m: "aims psrsns cu, PHnro-umo, WASMXNGYON, u. c.

Nu. 629,385. Patented July 25, I899.

' R. ROMAINE, Decd.

FFL. MIDDLETON, Administrator. POWER DRIVEN MECHANISM FOR CULTIVATINGAND HARVESTING.

A lication filed 12. 21, was.

9 Sheets-Shaat (No Modal.)

m: Nonms PETERS 00.. wom-Ln no" WASHINGTON. u. c.

No. 629,385. Pat ented July 25, E899. R. ROMAINE, Decd.

F. L. MIDDLETON, Administrator; POWER DRIVEN .M'ECHANISI FOR GULTIVATINGAND HARVESTING.

' 7 (Application filed Mar. 21, 1898) Mod) 9 Sheets-Sheet 8.

Llllillllli W 7 n I IIfIIIIII ILJiIQI I "Illa/2W "m: "cams mas coy.moTaLmom wAsnmcrms. a, 1:v

No. 629,385., ,E V Patented, July 25, I899.

, R. ROMAINE, Decd.

F. L. MIDDLETON, Administrator. POWER DRIVEN MECHANISM FOR CULTiVATINGAND HARVESTING.

(Application filed Max. 21, 1898.)

(No Model.) 9 Sheets-Shut 9.

THE uuanis mine. so. PNm-LVTHD" whsmnmtm. a. c

UNITED STATES? PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK L. MIDDLETON, OF BRANOHYVILLE, MARYLA D, ADMINISTRATOR or ROBERTROMAINE, DEoEAsED, AssIoNoR' TO THE ROMAINE AUTOMATIO AGRICULTURALMACHINE COMPANY, LIMITED, OF MONTREAL, CANADA.

" POWER-DRIVEN MECHANISM *FDR CULTIY'ATINQAND HARVESTING;

SPECIFICATION forniing part of Letters Patent No. 629,385, dated July25, 1899.

- Application filed March 21, 1398. seatin aven e. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

clare that I verily believe the said BOM INE' did invent certain new anduseful Improve ments in Power-Driven Machines for Cultiing is aspecification.

This invention relates to power-driven machines to be used'incultivation and harvest ing; and the object'the'r'eof is to so improvethe general construction of machines of this class that they may he morereadily trans ported from place to place and give better re-' sults thanhave been attainable heretofore.

The invention may be said-briefly, to consist in constructing the mainframeof inverted-U shape, a pair of traction-wheels being mountedin eachleg thereof and the working tools being supported between said legs andconstructed to cut into the surface of the ground and disintegrate samefor a depth that can be varied by means for raising and lowering saidtools, while a series of tools of double moldboard form are carried bysaid frame in rear of the said working tools and are adapted to act uponthe subsoil said working tools will have disintegrated.

For full comprehension, however,

of the invention reference must be had to the at companying drawings, inwhich like symbols indicate the same parts, and wherein Figure l is afront elevation of an apparatus for farm cultivation constructed accord:ingto the present invention, the frame being illustrated partly insection; Fig. 2, a transverse vertical sectional view thereofj Fig. 3,a' plan viewthereof ;-Fig. 4, a detailtransverse vertical seotional viewof'one of the steering-pedestals; Fig. 5, a similar view of one of theimproved spindle-operating sleeves;

Fig. 6,adetail plan view of oneof the spindlelifting levers; Fig. '7, anenlarged detail side elevation illustratingthe pointof connection ofoneof the levers with thespindle; Fig. 8,

a plan view thereof, Fig. 9, a detail longituall removed from the mainframe.

vating and Harvesting, of which the follow- ;trate in detail the meansfor putting the r0- ,tary tools into and out of operation. is a-detailfront elevation of ODB Of the forked ,sleeves, together with the partsimmediately connected thereto. izontal sectional views thereof, taken onlines 1 7 17 and '18 18, respectively, Fig. 16, and looking in thedirections indicated;

- plan view.

dinal sectional view of a portion of one of the hollow shafts andbevel-gear mounted there on. Fig. 9 is a plan view of the steering:mechanism. Fig. 10 is a detail side elevation of-on'e of thetool-carrying spindles, its raising and lowering lever andcarrying-frame Fig. 11 illustrates in detail one of the bearings foroneof the horizontal shafts of the steering mechanism. Figs. 12, 13, 14,and 15 illus- Fig. 16

Figs. '17 and 18 are hori- Fig. 19 is a detail sectional view of one ofthe horizontal bevel-gears for transmitting power:

of the shaft upon which the levers for lifting the spindle arefulcrumedo Figs. 21 and 22 are detail views of one of the oscillatoryblades of the rotary tool; Fig. 23 is a detail longitudinal sectionalview of one of the shafts of the steering-gear, the section being takenon line 23 23, Fig. 9. Fig. 24 is a part plan and part sectional view online 24 24, Fig. 23;

and Fig. 25 is'an elevation of one of the bearings for supporting theshaft for Operating the rotary tools and the portion of the frame forsupporting said bearing.

' The main frame I) of the machine is of inverted-U form, oblong andrectangular in The horizontal portion of this main frame is partiallydecked or provided with a platform, as at b, and carries two pairs ofbearings 11 19 and 12 19 located one pair at each end and each pairbeing braced together by a bridge-section b shaft 0 extends from one endto the otherof this frame and is carried in the bearings W12 6 19 whilethe central portion of this shaft is operatively connected to anyapproved form of engines (notshown) supported upon the deck or platformb. A

ma a 5 A horizontal driving- The frame of the machine is supported upontraction-wheels e, 6, c and c these wheels being mounted in the lowerforked end of four sleevesf, of which only one Will be described indetail, as they (together with their carrying and operating parts andparts carried thereby) are precisely similar in construction. The sleevef (see Figs. 1, 2, 4, 9, and 16) is of straight cylindrical form and hasa forked section f, secured to or formed in one with the lower endthereof and perforated and recessed, as at f and f respectively, theseperforations receiving and affording bearings for an axle f upon whichand centrally thereof nee, for instanceof such traction-wheels isrigidly mounted, while the recesses receive antifrictionrollersf Apinionf is mounted rigidly upon one end of such axle f and aretaining-collar f rigidly upon the other end thereof, such pinion finter-meshing with an idler f mounted upon a stub-spindle f mounted inthe prong of the fork adjacent to which the pinion f is mounted. Athirdpinion f inter-meshes with such idler and is mounted rigidly upon oneend of a spindle f, mounted adjacent to the base ofthe prongs of thefork, this latter spindle being retained against longitudinaldisplacement by a pin f, passed at right angles to such spindle throughone of the prongs of the fork and through a peripheral groove f near theend of such spindle. A vertical spindle g is located within said sleevef with its lower end projecting a short distance through the lower endthereof and has a miter-gear g mounted rigidly thereon, adapted tointermesh with a second miter-gear f, mounted rigidly upon the spindlef. The upper end of this vertical spindle extends through the open topof the frame I), where it is stayed by a series of diagonally-offsetcross-bars Z2 (see Figs. 16 and 17,) secured between transverse end T-bar I) for supporting the ends of the deck b. Each corner of the top ofthe frame is formed with these cross-bars 11 (see Fig. 3,) and thejuncture of the bars 5 of each corner forms a bearing 6 through whichsaid upper end of the spindle g is free to slide when the Weight of themachine overcomes the resistance of springs 9 to be presently described.A pinion g takes over the upper end of this spindle g and is operativelyconnected thereto by a feather on the pinion and a groove 1) in thespindle. A washer g is fitted over the spindle g'and rests upon the topof sleeve f, and a helical spring 9 encircles the spindle and bearsbetween such Washer g and a collar g provided with a sleeve-like portiong (see Figs. 2 and 16,) adapted to take into the bearing Z9 and act as abushing.

The pinion g intermesheswith an intermediate pinion or idler gmountedloosely upon the upper end of astub-spindle 9 set rigidly in thetop frame of the machine, (see Fig. 3,) and this idler in turnintermeshes with a pinion 9 mountedrigidly upon and about midway of thelength of a vertical stub-spindle g set at one end rotatably in the topframe and having a bevel-gear g mounted rigidly thereon (see Figs. 3 and19) and located in close proximity to the main drivingshaft c. A pair ofbevel-gears c 0 formed with clutchfaces, aremounted loosely upon saidmain shaft and intermesh with such gear g each of which gears c 0 may becaused to rotate with the shaft by means of a clutch-block 0 mountedupon the shaft intermediately of said gears c c and connected to theribs by feather and groove and adjustable along same into engagementwith either of such gears c 0 thus enabling the travel of the machine tobe stopped at any time or direction of such travel to be reversed atwill.

The sleevesfare mounted loosely in bearings h, formed by cross-pieces h,secured to the frame by bolts or the like at the corners thereof, Whilesuch sleeves are also guided on the spindles g, thus allowing suchsleeves to be freely rotated for the purpose of steering the machinewhile traveling. The preferred means whereby this steering may be doneconsists of pinionsf, f, f, and f", mounted rigidly one upon each of thefour sleevesf, about midway of their height. Vertical spindles f ,f fand f are rotatably carried in bearings 121 on the frame adjacent tosaid respective pinionsf, f f and f and have rigidly mounted thereonelongated gear-wheels f near the lower end of said spindles and adapted.to intermesh with the pinionsf ,f ,f and f. A pinion f is mounted uponeach of said pinions f 850., about midwayof the length thereof, andbevelgearsf ,f f and f are mounted on the upper ends thereof,respectively. A pair of horizontal hollow shafts f f are mounted one ateach end of the machine in bearings f formed on four of the cross-stays,Fig. 17, of the frame. Bevel-gears f, f f, and f, (see Figs. 2, 3, 9, U,and 23,)intermeshing with the respective bevel-gearsf, f if and f andformed with clutch-faces f are mounted loosely upon said hollow shafts fand f and operatively connected thereto by clutch-blocks f, adjustablealong said hollow shafts and connected thereto by keys f taking throughslot f into spindle f carried inside of said hollow shafts andadjustable longitudinally therein by means of levers f fulcrumed to theframe, as at 41. (See Figs. 2, 23, and 24.) These levers have theirlower ends forked, as at 42, to take over pins 43, projecting from thesides of a short sleeve 44, carried loosely upon each of the shafts 28and 29 between a pair of collars 43, formed rigidly thereon. A secondseries of vertical spindles f, f, f, and f are mounted adjacent to therespective spindles f, f f and f at their lowerendsin bearings f and attheir upper ends in bearings 407, secured to the frame. Said spindles f,f, f, and f have their upper ends projecting a short distance above thedeck or platform in order to allow of independentindividual adjustmentof the traction-wheels, while pinions f are mounted rigidly on the lowerends thereof and adapted to in termesh with the-pinions f A pair ofsprocket-wheels f f are mounted rigidly upon and near the ends of therespective spindles f and asin-' gle sprocket-wheel f* is mounted nearone end of the spindle f One of the sprocketwheels upon the spindlef isoperatively connected to the sprocket-wheel f upon the spindle fbyachain f, and the othersprocket-wheel f is connected by a chain f to asprocket-wheel f mounted rigidly upon a spindle f, having ahand-wheel f,mounted rigidly thereon, such spindle being mounted in a bearing-bracketf 57 upon the deck or platform.

Aseries of tool-operating spindles (see Figs. 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, and 10) areguided in a series of sleeves k, longitudinally slotted, as at andsuspended at their upper ends in vertical openings in beam & extendinglongitudinally vand centrally of the machine from one leg to the otherof the frame. The sleeves k are free to rotate in such openings in thebeam and are retained against downward displacement by rigid collars it,and such upperends of the sleeves also having bevel-gears 70 mountedrigidly thereon by means of a rigid cap formed with a trunnion adaptedto receive said bevel-gear, (see Fig. 5,) while the and spindlestogether, while allowing of the spindles being raised in such sleeves.counter-shaft m has rigidly mounted thereon a series of bevel-gears madapted to engage the bevel-gears k operatively connected to the upperends of the sleeves it, and such.

counter-shaft is carried longitudinallyiand centrally of the machine inbearings m m, secured upon each end of the frame. The shaft on projectsa suflicient distance through its hearings to allow ofgear-wheels m mbeing mounted on each end thereof, (see Figs.

' 12, 13-, 14,-aud 15,) such gear-wheels intermeshing with gear wheels mm carried: loosely upon and adjustably connected to the maindriving-shaftcby a feather-and-groove connection 0 These gear-wheels m mare formed with hub-sections m m respectively, each provided with agroove m A pair of levers m m are respectively fulcrumed rigidly-uponthe upper end of a pair of rotatable vertical rods mounted loosely inthe tubular brackets m upon the frame adjacent to the respectivegear-wheels m m. 1 The outer end'of each of these lever-arms engages thegroovem? of one of the hubs, while another pair of leverrarms m areconnected rigidly at one end to the lowerends of said vertical rods mand at their otherends rotatably by the respective rods m m to a leveron? at opposite sides of and equidistant from the fulcrum-point thereof.This latter lever is fulcrumed, as at m, to the deck and is providedwith a handle m. By the movement of this lever the "gear-wheels m m canbe moved either into or out of engagement with gear-wheels m m therebyputting the toolcarrying spindles into or out of engagement.

The kind of tools carried and operated by said spindles will depend uponthe work required to be done, each tool being preferably interchangeablewith other forms of tools.

The tools illustrated are those considered best adapted to be used inpreparing the soil by loosening it to receive seed, potatoes, and thelike, and such tools consist each of a disk 0, having a centralhub-section 0, adapted to fit overand be secured in any well-knownmanner, but preferably by a screw 0 to the lower end of such spindles.Four downwardly-projecting blades 0 curved to correspond to thecircumference of said disk, are pivotally secured at their upper ends tosaid disks by means of vertical spindle projections 0 adapted to takethrough openings in the disk and be rotatabi y secured therein againstdownward displacement, preferably by nuts 0 A number .of inclined plates0 are secured to the blades 0 on the inside thereof, preferably threeplates being secured to each blade.

The machine as described in the foregoing is adaptedto loosen anddisintegrate the subsoil without forming it into furrows and withorotherwise placed in a straight line upon the loosened soil, and the soilthen banked up over them. To this end a series of soil-' turning toolsp, preferably of f double moldboard form, are carried at each end of themachine and with the cutting edges of each series facing the'machineinorder that one series will follow and act upon the soil after it hasbeen loosened and disintegrated by the .tools carried by spindle k inWhatever direction the machine may be traveling, while the other seriesof turning-tools can be adjusted ICO IIC

to a position clear of the soil. Theconstruc- I tion of these series ofturning-tools and their carrying parts is as follows, reference being Vhad to Figs. 2 and 3': Upon the front and rear sides of the machine apair of brackets p are provided with laterally-projecting perforatedlugs 19* and secured in horizontal linewith' one another to the legs ofthe frame about midway of the height of such vlegs. A pair of brackets10 provided with laterally-projecting lugs p are secured in verticallinewith such bracket p'fand in a'horizontai line with one another to suchlegs of the machineframe near the lower ends thereof. The lower brackets10 are perforated to carry spindles 19, upon which pinions p are rigidlymounted between the laterally-projecting lugs 10 of such lower brackets.The turning-tools 19, any number of which may be used, are, as beforementioned, of double moldboard form and have web-sections connecting theupper edges of the V, such web also serving as a means whereby the toolsmay be connected, preferably by bolts, to a plate 9 extendinglongitudinally of the machine the full length of the distance betweenthe legs of the frame. This plate is secured at its ends rigidly by anypreferable means to the lower ends of a pair of bars 1), which areformed with a toothed rack 9 on one edge and perforated in a number ofplaces about centrally thereof, as at 12 These su pporting-bars p areplaced with their toothed edges intermeshing with the pinionsp wherethey are held by pins 1) and 19 located, respectively, in theperforations in brackets 132 and 11 and by rotating the spindles p(which are provided with crank-handles p for that purpose) thesesoil-turning tools may be raised or lowered to any desired position, inwhich position they can be held by inserting a pin p through aperforation in the bracket 19 and one of the perforations 1'). As ameans of strengthening the powers of resistance of the tool-carryingplate p such plate has a hook p mounted rigidly near each end thereof,to which hook a pair of chains 10", secured to the frame of the machine,are connected.

It is desirable at times to raise certain individual spindles,with thetools carried thereby, and at other times all of the spindles at once,the latter requirement occurring generally when the machine is to becaused to travel along a roadway from one farm to another or from one toanother section of farm. A preferable means for effecting thisindividual or collective raising of the spindles consists of a series ofpreferably V- shaped levers n, Fig. 10, fulcrumed at their apices upon abar n, detachably connected at its ends, as at 91 Fig. 20, to the frame.One arm n of each of these levers is forked, as at it, (see Fig. 8,) tostraddle sleeve 7c and take under the collars while the other arms n ofthe levers are .longerthan such arms 91 and project over same andterminate in handles n", and a portion at is eX- tended in the oppositedirection to arms a and n and recessed to form a socket to receive a barin order that such levers may be operated from either side of themachine. This lever mechanism just described enables any individualspindle to be raised from the ground. In order that the whole series ofspindles may be raised at once, a second series of collars kperipherally grooved, as at k, are mounted loosely upon the sleeves itbelow the collars W, and these collars 10 are operativel y connectedtogether by bars 70 is, connected rigidly to one another and to thecollars 70 by bolts 10 is, passing through such bars and the grooves inthe collars. By raising either of the bars k 'all of the spindles Itwill be raised, as will be obvious by reference to Figs. 1,- 7, and 8.Additional levers can of course be used to effect this raising of allthe spindles; but it is considered preferable to use any one ofthelevers n for that purpose, and this is done by fulcruming alever 70(see Figs. 2, 7, and S) to the arm a and offsetting the lower endthereof to form a hook 7e adapted to take under one of the bars k whilethe upper end of this lever is slotted to take over a laterallyprojecting end 713 of a rod 7e (see Fig. 10,) longitudinally adjustablycarried upon the side of the arm n in brackets 75 When it is desirableto raise only the spindle to which any particular lever is directlyconnected without disturbing the remaining spindles, it will benecessary to draw upon the rod 7e thus disengaging the hooked portions7c of lever A212 from the bar k The sleeves 7c are further braced andmaintained in a vertical position by means of brackets 11 (see Fig. 10,)detaehably secured to the under side of the deck or platform 17 of themachine by bolts p These brackets are formed of doWnwardly-project-in gtapered frames having horizontal bottom pieces 19 supporting the saidlongitudinal stay 7t and formed centrally thereof with a sleeve-likeportion 19 for the passage therethrough of the spindles. A curvedsupporting-section 10 is secured to the inclined frame -piece farthestfrom the fulcrum-point of the levers, such section being perforated atdifferent heights, as at 10 to receive a pin 19 which may be insertedafter the lever n has been raised, in order to support such lever atdifferent heights, according to the distance it may be required to keepthe spindle ends above the ground while angular braces 10 are secured attheir ends to'the adjacent inclined frame-pieces of the bracket 19 andperforated at their angles to allow the passage therethrough of and giverigidity to the fulcrumbar 47,. g 1

Platforms s and s, which are located be.-

tween the legs of the frame and supported by hangers s detachablysecured by boltsfs to the framework of said legs, providea footboard atboth sides of ,the machine, from which the operator can operate eitheror all of the no part of my invention, and are therefore neither shownnor described, will preferably be supported upon the platforms 3 and s.

The supply from the planter at the front of the machine should be shut01f, while that at the rear should be opened.

The engine for actuating the variousoperating parts of the machine isneither illus trated nor described, because it forms no part of theinvention.

The shaft 0, to whichv the engine is operatively connected, iscontinually rotated in the direction indicated in Fig; 1, and the clutchblocks c rotate therewith. It is supposed that the said clutch-blocksare shifted along the shaftcinto engagement with the left-handbevel-gears 0 (looking at Fig. 1.) These bevel-gears will then berotated in the direction indicated, and movement will be transmittedfrom them through bevel-gears 9 Figs. 1, 2, and 19, gear wheels g, and 9Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 16, to spindles g, and thence, Fig. 16, throughbevel-gears g and f spindles f, and gear-wheels f f f, to the axles fand traction-wheels e, '6, e and 6 to which a rotation in the directionindicated in Fig. 1 will be imparted and the machine caused to travel inthe direction indicatedin Figs. 2 and 3. To reverse the direction oftravel of themachine, the clutch-block 0* should be shiftedout ofengagement with the left-hand bevel-gears c into engagementwith therighthand bevel-gears 0 The machine can be steered to travel in anydesired direction by means of haud-wheelf, hollow spindle f chain f,hollow spindle f, clutch-blocks'f bevel-gears f, f, 1 and ei at zs feeand 2? Spindles f18 21 f, elongated gear-wheels f gears f, f, and f",and the sleeves of which may be rotatedin either direction,and thebevel-gears can be disconnected from their hollow spindles by spindles fand levers f Figs. 1, 2, 9*, 16, and 23. In this manner the machine canbe caused to travel from farm to farm along any public roadway or fromone farmsection toanother farm-section.

When the machine arrives at the farm or section of farm to be cultivatedand has been swung around by the-steering mechanism to a position tocommence work, the gears m m should be shifted into engagement withgears in m by means of levers m rods m m and lever m, Figs. 1, 3, 12,13, 14, and 15, thus causing the shaft m, Figs. 1, 2, and 25, to rotateand a rotary movement to be imparted to the rotary tools 0 0. Figs. 1,2, 21, and 22, through bevel-gears .m and k sleeves k, and spindles in,Figs. 1, 2, 5, and 10. The spindles is are lowered into the soil orraised out of it,either collectively or individually,by means of thelovers n, Figs. 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, and 10. These operations result in thepreparation of the soil to receive seed or potatoes and the like; but ina great many cases it is necessary'to bank the soil over the seed orpotatoes, and therefore it is essential to utilize the soil-turningtools 10, Figs. 2 and 3. These tools are lowered the required distanceinto the soil by means of the cranks p gears p and racks 13 bolts 19should be withdrawn and the con.-

nection n displaced, thus disconnecting the bracket 19 from the platformor deck and the bar it from the frame of the machine, when the sleeves7t',spindles 7i and operating-levers it, together with their connectingparts, canbe removed from the machine.

It will be obvious, although the machine has been described as adaptedto be utilized for planting potatoes, that it can be adapted for manyother operations of cultivating or barvesting without departing from thespirit of the invention.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. In apparatus for farm cultivation, a frame; a pair of verticalsleeves carried at each end of said frame; said sleeves having theirlower. ends forked; traction -wheels mounted rigidly upon horizontaltrunnions carried loosely at the lower ends of said forked ends of thesleeves; horizontal spindles mounted nearthe upper ends of said forks; atrain of gears operativel y connecting said trunnions and horizontalspindles abevel-gear mounted rigidly upon eachof said horizontalspindles; vertical spindles extending upwardly through said sleevesbevel-gears mounted rigidly upon the lower ends of said verticalspindles and adapted to intermeshv with the above-mentioned bevel-gears;and means for rotating said vertical spindles,for the purpose set forth.

2. In apparatus for farm cultivation, a frame; a pair of verticalsleeves carried at each end of said frame; said sleeves having theirlower ends forked; traction wheels mounted rigidly upon trunnionscarried loosely at the lower ends of said forked ends of the sleeves;horizontal spindles mounted near the upper ends of said forks; a trainof gears carried by said fork and operatively connecting saidtrunnionsand horizontalspindies together; a bevel-gear mounted rigidlyupon each of said horizontal spindles; vertical spindles extendingupwardly through said sleeves and through horizontal portions of theframe; bevel-gears mounted rigidly upon the lower ends of said verticalspindles and adapted to intermesh with the above-mentioned bevel-gears;yielding resistances between the upper ends of said hollow spindles andsaid horizontal portions of the frame; means for rotating said sleevesand means for rotating said vertical spindles, for the purpose setforth.

3. In apparatus for farm cultivation, a.

frame; a pair of vertical sleeves carried at each end of said frame;said sleeves having their lower ends forked; traction-wheels mountedrigidly upon trunnions carried loosely at the lower ends of said forkedends of the sleeves; horizontal spindles mounted near the upper ends ofsaid forks; a train of gears carried by said fork and operativel yconnecting said trunnions and horizontal spindles together; a bevel-gearmounted rigidly upon each of said horizontal spindles; vertical spindles9 extending upwardly through said sleeves and through horizontalportions of the frame; bevel-gears mounted rigidly upon the lower endsof said vertical spindles and adapted to intermesh with theabovementioned bevel-gears coiled springs between the upper ends of saidhollow spindles and said horizontal portions of the frame; a pinionmounted rigidly upon each of said sleeves; a vertical spindle mounted inbearings car ried by the frame adjacent to each of said sleeves;elongated gear-wheels mounted rigidly upon said last-mentioned spindlesand adapted to intermesh with the pinions mounted upon said sleeves;bevel-gears mounted rigidly upon the upper ends of said last-mentionedspindles; horizontal shafts mounted respectively at opposite ends of themachine; bevel-gears mounted upon said horizontal shafts and adapted tointermesh with said last above mentioned bevel-gears; an operativeconnection between said horizontal shafts; means for rotating saidhorizontal shafts; and means for rotating said vertical spindle g,substantially as described and for the purpose set forth.

4. In apparatus for farm cultivation, a frame a pair of vertical sleevescarried at ea ch end of said frame; said sleeves having their lower endsforked; traction-wheels mounted rigidly upon horizontal spindles carriedloosely at the lower ends of said forked ends of the sleeves; pinionsmounted rigidly upon said sleeves; a vertical spindle mounted adjacentto said hollow spindles; elongated gearwheels mounted rigidly upon saidlast-mentioned spindles and adapted to intermesh with the pinionsmounted upon said sleeves; bevel-gears mounted rigidly upon the upperends of said last-mentioned spindles; horizontal shafts mountedrespectively at opposite ends of the machine; bevel-gears mountedloosely upon said horizontal spindles and adapted to intermesh with saidlast above mentioned bevel-gears; an operative connection between saidhorizontal spindles; means for rotating said horizontal spindles; meansfor operatively connecting and disconnecting said bevel-gears to andfrom said hollow shafts; and means for rotating said wheelssubstantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. In apparatus for farm cultivation, a frame; a pair of verticalsleeves carried at each end of said frame; and adapted to yieldinglysupport same; said sleeves having their lower ends forked;traction-wheels mounted at the lower ends of said forked ends of thesleeves; a pinion mounted rigidly upon each of said sleeves; verticalspindles mounted in bearings carried by the frame adjacent to each ofsaid sleeves; an elongated gear-wheel mounted rigidly upon said verticalspindles and adapted to intermesh with the pinions mounted upon saidsleeves; bevel-gears mounted rigidly upon the upper ends ofisaidlast-mentioned spindles; a horizontal hollow shaft mounted at each endof the machine; spindles carried within said hollow shafts andadjustable longitudinally thereof; bevelgears mountedupon saidhorizontal hollow shaft and formed with clutch-faces and the teeth ofthese gears being adapted to intermesh with said last above mentionedbevel-gears; clutch-blocks mounted loosely upon said hol low shaftsadjacent to the clutch-faces of said gears; an operative connectionbetween said clutch-blocks and internal spindles; an operativeconnection between said horizontal shafts; means for rotating saidhorizontal shafts; means for adjusting said internal spindles; verticalspindles mounted in bearings carried by the frame adjacent to saidlast-mentioned vertical spindles and having their upper ends providedwith handwheels, pinions mounted rigidly upon the other ends thereof andadapted to intermesh with a pin-- ion mounted upon each of said lastabove mentioned spindles, substantially as and for the purpose setforth.

6; In an apparatus for farm cultivation, the combination with the frameandmeans for propelling the same, of a series of rotatable andvertically-movable spindles carrying digging-tools, a coupling-barextending between said spindles arranged to raise all of said spindlesbut to permit individual lifting of the spindles independent of saidbar, lifting means connected with each spindle for independently raisingthe same and a detachable connection between a portion of said leversand said bar whereby all the spindles may be raised simultaneously,substantially as described.

'7. In apparatus for farm cultivation, a rotatable soil-loosening toolconsisting of a horizontal disk, having downwardly-projectinghorizontally-curved blades secured to the under side thereof and theforward ends of said blades having a horizontally-swinging connectionwith said disk and said blades having diagonally-arranged plates securedthereto, and means for rotating said toolsubstantially as and for thepurpose set forth.

8. In apparatus for farm cultivation, a frame of inverted-U shape, apair of traction-wheels carried at each end of said frame by the legsthereof; a series of vertical toolcarrying spindles carried intermediateof the legs of said U-shaped frame; a horizontal driving-shaft carriedupon and longitudinally of saidframe; means for operatively connectingand disconnecting said spindles and driving shaft; means for operativelyconnecting and disconnecting said traction- IIO wheels anddriving-shaft; and means for P0 tating said driving-shaft, for thepurpose set forth.

9. In apparatus for farm cultivation, a frame of inverted-U shape, apair of traction-wheels carried at each end of said frame by the legsthereof; a series of vertical tool carrying spindles carriedintermediate of-tlie legs of said U-shaped frame; a horizontaldriving-shaft carried upon said frame longitudinally thereof; means foroperatively connecting and disconnecting said spindles anddriving-shaft; means for operatively connecting and disconnecting saidtractionwheels; and means for rotating said drivingshaft, for thepurpose set forth.

10. In apparatus for farm cultivation, a frame of inverted- U shape, apair of tractionwheels carried at each end of said frame by thelegsthereof; a series of vertical tool-carrying spindles carriedintermediate of the legs of said U-shaped frame; a horizontaldriving-shaft carried upon said frame and longitudinally thereof; meansfor operatively connecting and disconnecting said spindles anddriving-shaft; means for operatively connecting and disconnecting saidtractionwheels and driving-shaft; means for reversing the direction ofvertical rotation of said tractiomwheels; and'means for rotating saiddriving-shaft for the purpose set forth.

11. In apparatus for farm cultivation, a frame of inverted-U shape, apair of tractionwheels carried at each end of said frame by the legsthereof; a series of vertical toolcarrying spindles carried intermediateof the legs of said U-shaped frame; a horizontal d riving-shaft carriedupon and longitudinally of said frame; means for operatively connectingand disconnecting said spindles and driving-shaft; means for operativelyconnecting and disconnecting said traction-wheels and driving-shaft;means for horizontally adj usting said traction-wheels; means forreversing the direction of vertical rotation of said trac- Lion-wheels;and means for rotating said driving-shaft, for the purpose set forth.

12. In apparatus for farm cultivation, a frame; means for propellingsaid frame; a series of vertically-adjustable tool-carrying spindlescarried by said frame; a series of levers fulcrumed to the said frameand operatively connected to said spindles; a platform carried by saidframe and adapted to afford a foot-board adjacent to said levers, a linkhaving a lifting connection with each of said spindles, said spindlesbeing free to be lifted independently of said link and means for raisingsaid link substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

13. In apparatus for farm cultivation, a

traveling frame; a series of vertical adjustable tool-carrying spindlescarried by said frame a series of levers fulcrumed to the said frame andoperatively connected to said spindles; a platform carried by said frameand adapted to afiord afoot-board adjacent to said levers, a link havinga lifting connection with each of said spindles, said spindles beingfree to be lifted independently of said link, and a detachableconnection between said levers and said link, substantially as and forthe purpose set forth.-

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

. THANK L. MIDDLETON, Administrator of the estate of Robert R0- maine,deceased.

Witnesses:

HENRY E. COOPER, WALTER DONALDSON.

